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(Photo: MiMARK)
 21.06.2023

MiMARK Diagnostics receives €2.5 M from the European Innovation Council Accelerator

The spin-off company of the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR in tis Catalan acronym) specialising in the development of innovative solutions for gynaecological diagnosis, based in the Barcelona Science Park, has been one of the 51 European companies selected in this competitive call and the only one from Catalonia. The grant will enable the acceleration of the development of its endometrial cancer diagnostic test: WomEC.

A total of 51 companies in 17 countries have been selected by the European Innovation Council Accelerator, in a competitive process involving 551 candidates. MiMARK Diagnostics and the Madrid-based company, Oils4Cure have been the only Spanish companies to be chosen.

The €2.5 M awarded by the European Innovation Council Accelerator adds to the million euros raised by MiMARK Diagnostics in a funding operation announced a few days ago and led by the Clave Capital, Nara Capital and Namarel Ventures risk capital fund, in which the WA4Steam “Business Angels” network has also participated.

“The funding from the European Innovation Council Accelerator represents a European seal of excellence which will allow us to accelerate the validation of our first product, WomEC,” celebrates Marina Rigau, CEO and co-founder of MiMARK Diagnostics. WomEC is an in vitro diagnostic test for endometrial cancer based on the analysis of proteins present in uterine fluid. Nowadays, the diagnosis of this type of cancer, the most common type of gynaecological cancer in developed countries, with more than 6,700 new cases per year in Spain, usually requires a hysteroscopy guided biopsy, an invasive procedure that could be avoided with WomEC . The test would also offer a more accurate and rapid diagnosis.

The European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator offers grants of up to €2.5 million over two years to innovative start-up companies and SMEs, combined with capital investments through the EIC fund of between €0.5 million and €15 million or more. In addition to financial support, selected projects benefit from business acceleration services. In this call, the 51 selected companies will receive total funding of €260 M.

MiMARK Diagnostics is one of the 11 companies which became part of the BCN Health Booster accelerator in 2021, promoted by the Barcelona Science Park, Barcelona City Council, Barcelona Activa and Biocat. To date, and including this new grant from the European Innovation Council Accelerator, the company has received a total of €6.2 million in public-private funding. Among other public grants, the EIT Health Wild Card 2020 – Women’s Health Edition, Public-Private Partnership Projects – 2021 call by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, and Neotec Women – 2022 call by the Development of Industrial Technology Centre (CDTI in its Spanish acronym).

» Link to the news article: Website of the European Innovation Council Accelerator